The Sambhal administration and police in Uttar Pradesh discovered a Hindu temple that had been encroached on. The temple houses idols of Lord Shiva and Lord Hanuman. The broad drive aims to revitalize the neighbourhood and combat unauthorized electricity connections. The crackdown also targeted locations with suspected illicit power connections within the Nakhasa police station’s authority.
Sambhal CO Anuj Kumar Chaudhary stated that the police had received information that a temple in the vicinity was being encroached on. “When we inspected the spot, we found a temple there,” he said.
🚨 BIG BREAKING NEWS 🎯
A Shiva temple in Sambhal, closed for 46 years has been reopened by Yogi Adityanath’s administration 🔥
The temple had been closed since 1978 & is now accessible to the public once again 👌 pic.twitter.com/3CDUy1NhR5
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) December 14, 2024
Big news from Sambhal: A hidden Shiv temple has been discovered after 46 years during a police raid.
When the Muslim population in the area grew, the remaining Hindus migrated, and the temple was locked by Muslims.
The police conducted a raid in the area following complaints of… pic.twitter.com/kpjasH6U40
— Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) December 14, 2024
The development comes days after tensions broke out in the district over a survey of the so-called Shahi Jama Masjid, illegally built over the HariHar temple site. Encroachment along drains, particularly in locations near the mosque, has been a persistent issue. On Friday, the district government initiated a dedicated encroachment removal effort in Chandausi and plans to spread it throughout Sambhal.
Vishnu Sharan Rastogi, the patron of the Nagar Hindu Sabha, said on Saturday that a temple in Sambhal has reopened after four decades. Rastogi said that after 1978 the temple is opened for the public.
Additional SP Shrish Chandra said, “During checking it was found that some people had encroached upon the temple by constructing houses. The temple has been cleaned, and action will be taken against those who encroached upon the temple.”
Chandra also added there were some Hindu families who used to reside in the area but left due to some reason. In the statement, he said, “There are idols of Lord Shiva and Lord Hanuman in the temple. Hindu families used to live in this area, and for some reason, they left the area. There is information about an ancient well also near the temple,” ANI quoted.
On Thursday (December 12), the apex court barred civil courts across the country from registering fresh suits challenging the ownership and title of any place of worship, and from ordering surveys of disputed religious places until further orders.
The discovery of the encroached Hindu temple in a peculiar manner—during the authorities’ crackdown on illegal power consumption—can only be seen as a divine signal towards the resurgence of the shackled Hindu civilization.